November 2013

November 30, 2013

Texas A&M officials announced an agreement in principle with football coach Kevin Sumlin on a new six-year contract Saturday, effectively taking Sumlin out of the mix for the Southern California coaching vacancy.

Terms of the contract were not announced and the deal requires final approval by A&M regents. But the new contract, announced before the start of Saturday’s game at Missouri, involved input from regents Elaine Mendoza and Cliff Thomas to reach this point, said A&M athletic director Eric Hyman. Sumlin had been mentioned as a leading candidate for the vacancy at USC, which fired coach Lane Kiffin in September.

Hyman said Sumlin’s new package shows the school “is making a sincere commitment” to keeping their second-year coach in College Station for the long term.

“We are fortunate that he is committed to remain an Aggie for a long time to come and we are excited about what the future has in store,” Hyman said in a statement released by school officials. “Coach Sumlin has demonstrated why he is considered among the nation’s elite football coaches. His coaching and recruiting abilities are only secondary to his integrity, class and passion for his student-athletes and this university.”

In a statement, Sumlin said: “I am humbled and very appreciative of the commitment that Texas A&M has extended not only to me and my family, but to our football program overall. We have only just begun to lay the foundation for sustained, long-term success.”

Heading into the Missouri game, Sumlin had compiled a 19-5 record in two seasons at A&M and a 54-22 mark in six seasons as a head football coach at A&M and Houston.

November 29, 2013

Texas junior linebacker Steve Edmond suffered a lacerated liver during the Longhorns' win over Texas Tech on Thursday night and will not play in his team's regular season finale against Baylor next weekend. No timetable has been set for his return but he has not been ruled out for whatever bowl game the Longhorns play in.

Edmond was hit hard by Red Raiders wide receiver Eric Ward in the second quarter and laid on the field for a few minutes before slowly walking to the locker room with a couple of trainers' assistance. He did not return.

The Longhorns have fallen victim to more than their far share of injuries this year, especially at the linebacker position. Junior Jordan Hicks, who missed the final 10 games of the 2012 season, played in just four games this year before being sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles tendon.

Fellow junior linebacker Tevin Jackson tore his left ACL earlier this month in a win over Kansas and senior Demarco Cobbs has not played since suffering a right knee injury that forced to miss the last two games of last season.

Edmond, who has made a team-high 73 tackles this year, was not the only Texas linebacker injured against Texas Tech. Junior linebacker Kendall Thompson sustained a head injury in the victory and will continue to be evaluated.

The injury to Edmond means that Tim Cole, who made his first career start against Iowa State this year, may earn another start when Texas faces Baylor next Saturday. Peter Jinkens and Dalton Santos are the only healthy Longhorns linebackers with multiple career starts under their belt.

The finalists, announced Monday, will attend the live announcement of the winner during The Home Depot College Football Awards show, Dec. 12 in Orlando, Fla. The recipient will be honored Feb. 17, 2014 during a dinner at the Fort Worth Club.

Manziel, the 2012 O’Brien winner, will be one of four A&M finalists for individual honors during ESPN’s Dec. 12 telecast. Also in the mix will be wide receiver Mike Evans (Biletnikoff Award), offensive tackle Jake Matthews (Outland Trophy) and punter Drew Kaser (Ray Guy Award). A&M has the most individual finalists of any FBS school.

Baylor offensive guard Cyril Richardson, a North Crowley graduate, joins Matthews and Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald among the Outland finalists. Texas kicker Anthony Fera is a finalist for the Lou Groza Award and Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert is a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the top defensive back.

The same three finalists for the O’Brien Award (Manziel, Winston, McCarron) also are finalists for the 2013 Maxwell Award, given to the nation’s top overall player.

Heading into Saturday’s games, McCarron and Winston have their respective teams on pace to meet in the BCS National Championship Game. McCarron leads No. 1 Alabama (11-0) and Winston, who leads FBS players in passing efficiency (194.5 rating), oversees the offense for No. 2 Florida State (11-0). Manziel has thrown for 3,537 yards, rushed for 665 and accounted for 40 touchdowns this season for No. 21 A&M (8-3).

Below is a look at the lineup of awards finalists for ESPN’s Dec. 12 telecast:

THE HOME DEPOT COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARDS FINALISTS – (listed alphabetically)

Texas senior Anthony Fera became the first player in school history to be named a Lou Groza Award finalist on Monday.

Fera transferred from Penn State following the Jerry Sandusky scandal and battled through a groin injury during his first season at Texas last year, making only two of four field goal attempts and hitting 23 of 25 extra-point tries.

But Fera has become one of the most reliable kickers in the country this year, connecting on 17 of his 18 field goal attempts. He is also 38-for-39 on extra points so far this season, his only miss being an extra point attempt that was blocked in Texas' win over Oklahoma.

"Anthony Fera is having a terrific year and we're thrilled that he's been named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award," Texas head coach Mack Brown said. "He's been a critical part of our success this season, not only as one of the steadiest and most reliable field goal kickers in the nation but also as a punter. He's come up huge for us on special teams all season long."

Fera, who has knocked his last 13 field goal attempts through the uprights, has hit 94.4 percent of his field goal tries this year, putting him on pace to set a new school record. Jeff Ward went 15-for-16 (93.8 percent) in 1983.

He is also averaging 41.7 yards per punt this season, with 23 of his 52 punts being downed inside the 20-yard line.

Florida State's Robert Aguayo and South Florida's Marvin Kloss are the other two Groza Award finalists. The winner will be announced Dec. 12.

Junior quarterback David Ash has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, Texas announced Monday morning.

Ash has been battling a head injury for most of the year, first suffering a concussion in the Longhorns' loss to BYU in September before returning the following week against Ole Miss but leaving the game after halftime of the win over Kansas State the weekend after that.

"David has been treated and evaluated by our medical staff daily for a recurrence of concussion symptoms and also visited with and received feedback from specialists," head trainer Kenny Boyd said in a statement. "Though he's made a lot of progress, we have not been able to clear him to return to competition. Due to the duration of symptoms, we are now at a point that we all believe the best approach for him is to not return this season. We've visited with David and his family and are all in agreement on his not returning to action as the best next step in his recovery. We will continue to treat him and watch his progress closely and expect this will allow him ample time to return to full health and participation for the spring season."

Since Ash will not be medically cleared by season's end, he is eligible for and will appeal for a medical redshirt. Ash passed for 760 yards and seven touchdowns this year.

November 23, 2013

Oklahoma Sooners cornerback Zack Sanchez, a redshirt freshman from Keller Central, made the first interception of his college career and ran it back 74 yards for a touchdown to help Oklahoma defeat Kansas State 41-31 on Saturday afternoon in Manhattan, Kan.

Sanchez's touchdown, a return up the right sideline, gave Oklahoma a 41-24 lead with 11 minutes to play.

It had been a rough day until then for Sanchez, who was victimized in the first half by Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett, who set a K-State school record with 278 yards receiving from 12 catches.

The victory gave coach Bob Stoops the Sooners' record with 158 wins, breaking the mark held by Barry Switzer.

November 21, 2013

Sophomore Daje Johnson and junior Chet Moss have been suspended for an undisclosed violation of team rules and will not play against Texas Tech next week, Texas announced Thursday.

This will be the third game Johnson will miss this season as he sat out games against Ole Miss and Kansas State with an ankle injury. He returned for Texas' win against Iowa State and had a key 85-yard punt return for a touchdown in the 36-20 victory over Oklahoma the following weekend.

Johnson has totaled 728 all-purpose yards on 74 touches this season, averaging 9.8 yards per touch. He solidified himself as the team's punt returner against the Sooners but was replaced by Quandre Diggs in the loss to Oklahoma State last weekend following a couple miscues, including nearly muffing a punt inside his 10-yard line.

Moss has played in 26 games during his Longhorns career, nine of them this year -- all on special teams.

Admiral William H. McRaven, a former track athlete at the University of Texas who is best known for leading the raid resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden, has been selected as recipient of the 2013 Great American Patriot Award.

The honor, announced Thursday, will be presented during halftime of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Dec. 30 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth (10:45 a.m., ESPN). The contest will pit Navy (6-4) against an opponent from the Mountain West Conference.

The award is presented annually to a recipient who has spent his or her career serving the common good of the U.S. and has “gone above the call of duty to serve and protect this country.” McRaven, a native of Pinehurst, N.C., oversaw the organization and execution of the Navy SEAL team raid (Operation Neptune Spear) that resulted in Bin Laden’s death in 2011.

He currently serves as Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. His duties include overseeing the readiness of U.S. special operations forces worldwide.

In a statement, McRaven said: “I am honored to receive this prestigious award. We have a professional and moral obligation to take care of our warriors and their families.”

Tickets for the Armed Forces Bowl are available at www.armedforcesbowl.com.

November 20, 2013

Texas A&M officials announced their 2014 football schedule Wednesday, featuring six games at Kyle Field, two games in Dallas-Fort Worth and non-conference contests against Lamar, Rice, SMU and Louisiana-Monroe.

The season begins and ends with Thursday night national telecasts against South Carolina (Aug. 28) and LSU (Nov. 27). The Thursday night appearances, a season-opener at South Carolina on the SEC Network and a Thanksgiving matchup against LSU in College Station, had been announced previously.

The games in D-FW fall on consecutive Saturdays: Sept. 20 at SMU (Dallas) and Sept. 27 against Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. A&M plays Oct. 18 at Alabama, the two-time defending national champion. The Aggies have two bye weeks.

Former Texas A&M football coach R.C. Slocum has been selected as winner of the 2014 Amos Alonzo Stagg Award, to be presented Jan. 14 at the American Football Coaches Association convention in Indianapolis. AFCA officials announced the selection Wednesday. Slocum, 69, retired after the 2002 as the winningest coach in A&M history with an overall record of 123-47-2. Slocum’s teams won three Southwest Conference titles, a 1998 Big 12 title and made it to 10 bowl games. The Stagg award honors a former coach “whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football.”

Slocum said it was “humbling to be recognized with all the great coaches who have won the award before me,” a list that includes Darrell Royal (2010), Bobby Bowden (2011), Grant Teaff (2006), Tom Osborne (2000), Paul “Bear” Bryant (1983) and others.